From learning AEO in this group… to speaking about it on a TEDx stage. This Saturday, I'm speaking at TEDxHarmony Science Academy Dallas High Youth in Dallas, Texas. The theme: Ripple Effect. My topic: "How to Get Found, Chosen, and Recommended by AI" This community is where it all started for me. The concepts. The strategies. The mindset shift that changed everything. I wanted to share this moment with you. If you've ever been curious about the TEDx stage — whether you'd like to attend one, or you're considering doing one yourself someday this is a chance to see the behind the scenes while cheering me on. If you would like to attend this Saturday, March 28th, 9am–4pm in Dallas, let me know — you can be my VIP guest. Ideas change everything. This one started here.

Hey AEO leaders, First off, thank you for your patience and sticking with the community and the time off. I'm recovering incredibly well; thanks for your kind words. And well, it seems that skool has messed up or not synchronized the call schedules in the platform, so there's been a lot of confusion, and I'm going to announce a reschedule just to get aligned and get the most people to join our calls and participate, ask, and share. 🔔 NOW On-topic: This is just one of the bits that we've gone through our calls, and it's worth repeating here now that this -top-level multimillion-dollar AEO AI visibility tracking tool- and our team agree on: If you're not the source of your brand's truth A competitor will be telling AI what your brand is about. And that's bad. AI looks for source relevancy to select its sources. Meaning, If the users query is: "What are the best flat feet shoes for tropical climates that are weatherproof and under 50$" - The winner content will be titled: "Best flat feet shoes to wear in the tropics on a budget" - The loser: "Best flat feet shoes of 2026" And it doesn't seem to validate the source, we think that it should come from a validated authority on the matter but AI right now from what we've seen pick these pages as sources mostly because of -how close they are to answering the user question- Of course, there are things to avoid because it is not just AI platforms that we have to comply with in the digital landscape. And that's what we're doing here, finding the right way to do things, so that's something that we have to go into. I'd love to hear your experiences. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOURCE: Here's the full blog of how Zapier increased their visibility in AI by having visibility of citations, and creating highly relevant multi-modal content.

We’re looking for a host for the AEO Show, a podcast focused on the future of search and AI-driven discovery. You will interview founders, marketers, and technical experts about the shift from SEO to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Details - Pay: $100 per hour - Expected schedule: ~4 episodes per month - Production, editing, and logistics are fully handled for you - The show will receive significant promotional support - The entire Smart Marketer team is behind this project - This will be a high-visibility opportunity for the host Profit share may be available on paid ad placements accepted by the show Important: You do not need SEO or AEO knowledge to apply. The ideal host is someone who can ask great questions and guide conversations with technical experts. Technical curiosity helps, but the role is to represent the non-technical audience while interviewing technical guests. Apply here: https://forms.gle/RS5pWYaxEePpxJjR8

We're toying with the idea of launching an AEO.co Certified Partner Program (Powered by Smart Marketer). There would definitely be an element of exclusivity so it would be limited. If we did that, would there be interested in it in our community? Chime in and let us know what you'd want that to look like! Thanks!!

First, hello! Long time, no talk. Sorry I've been absent from the AEO group. @Julian Lopez took over (and crushed it) and I went off and did other things. Second, I owe y'all a huge apology. We launched this cohort to help us gather data, test, and figure out what the hell this AEO thing is. Everyone who joined signed up as a pioneer and put their faith and trust in us. THANK YOU!! Quick detour: For those of you who don't know. I'm dealing with some health issues and have been winding down my involvement in extracurricular activities (like starting new businesses). Because of that: I needed to find someone to partner with on the AEO front who could take the lead in building the company from a day-to-day perspective. I just don't have it in me right now. Good news: I found them!! Molly Pittman and Ezra Firestone of Smart Marketer were actually looking to launch an AEO service and so the timing was perfect. They're absorbing us into their company and taking the reigns from here. This lets me and Julian stay active in the "mad scientist" roles and brings in other grownups who want to actually run a business. It also brings us the financing, staff, and infrastructure necessary to really launch something meaningful. The reason I'm telling you this... I really, really screwed up. Here's how it happened (from my perspective): - My decades long health journey comes to a crossroads and I realize I need to buckle down and focus on getting well. - I pull the plug on everything other than Pareto (my main business). If I can't sell it, I just wind it down or give my share of the equity back. The only thing I can't let bring myself to let go of is AEO. - I post to Facebook in a desperate plea to find someone who can help take over AEO while still allowing me to stay involved. The response is overwhelming! Some massive names reach out and exciting conversations ensue. - I settle on Smart Marketer. They're an obvious choice and I've admired Molly for years and years. I'm so excited and also nervous because we need to move FAST! - We decide on what me and @Julian Lopez have known for a while: We have enough data. We just need to pull the trigger and go for it. We all agree we're going to bring on ten "test" clients for an initial phase of testing. - We pull together an application form. Smart Marketer goes to fire it off to their list and I go post it to my socials.